News and Views

Hector Exit And Vydra Arrival Lead Transfer News

01 September 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Striker Matej Vydra has signed from Watford on a season long loan for a 2.2 million pound payment. The fee will also rise over 2.5 million should Reading finish in the play-off positions or better.

Reading fans are waiting for confirmation that Michael Hector has joined Chelsea for four million pounds. Reading are also expected to complete the loan signing of Benfica's Ola John. It has already been probably the most active transfer window ever for the club, and the momentum continued today after yesterday's season long loan signing of Lucas Piazon from Chelsea.

Central defender Michael Hector has been at Chelsea for his medical, and the signing is set to be confirmed shortly. Four million pounds may seem like a bargain for a player of Hector's obvious potential, but it is the kind of offer that the club would find very difficult to turn down. It is expected that Hector will be loaned straight back to Reading, which makes the transfer even more inviting for the Royals. Other outgoing rumours include Nick Blackman to Wolves, but there appears little evidence to back that up.

Other possible incoming transfers include Ola John and Tokelo Rantie. It is being reported that Bournemouth striker Tokelo Rantie has been spotted at the Madejski Stadium where he is discussing the possibility of a season long loan. Rantie made 12 appearances for Bournemouth last season, but failed to make a league start. His two goals came during Bournemouth's 8-0 thrashing of Birmingham City last year. Rantie arrived at Bournemouth from Malmo but has failed to make an impact while with the Cherries.

Watford's Matej Vydra has been on the rumour list for a couple of weeks, and the discussion has been mostly about another season long loan for the striker. He played a huge part in Watford's promotion out of the Championship last season, hitting 16 goals in 42 appearances. His statistics were even more impressive during his previous loan spell at Watford in the 2012/2013 season when he scored 22 goals in a total of 47 appearances.

Czech Republic International Vydra certainly ticks all the boxes for a proven goal-scorer - so much so that Reading have offered a substantial multi-million pound payment just for the loan signing. Vydra is an impressive signing for Reading in their hunt for a striker - even if it is only initially on a loan basis.

Another rumour, again on loan, is the arrival of Dutch International winger Ola John from Portuguese giants Benfica. Twenty three year old John has already played for the senior Holland side - facing England at Wembley. Benfica signed John from FC Twente in 2012 on a five year deal and he has gone on to make 55 appearances for Benfica. Both John and Vydra are at the Madejski Stadium this afternoon.

Reading have been putting together a very multi-national side over the summer. That continued with the signing of Lucas Piazon yesterday and Vydra today. However, a bit closer to home was the rumoured arrival of Tom Bradshaw from Walsall. 23 year old Bradshaw has a strike rate of 0.3 goals per game and played for Shrewsbury before Walsall. Bradshaw now looks set to join Bristol City as Reading complete the signing of Matej Vydra.

Steve Clarke will be delighted with the arrival of Vydra - a young player with a proven goal scoring record. However, if Hector moves to Chelsea and isn't loaned back, we may need to take another look at defensive cover.

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